Cypriot

UK-based Cypriot Marios Demetriou, 50, was jailed for six years earlier this week for deceiving people into giving him £1.4m under the pretence that he would sue an NHS trust and police after the brutal murder of his mother.

Rather, Demetriou used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle for his wife and four children, Wood Green crown court heard.

After his 79-year-old mother, Eleftheria Demetriou, was murdered in 2012 when she was stabbed in her North London home 40 times by mentally ill neighbour, Somali-born Hakim Abdillahi who believed she was the antichrist, Demetriou began spreading the word among friends and through media interviews that he would launch legal action for failings to protect his mother against the killer.

According to the Sun, Abdillahihad called police the day before the murder saying he wanted to kill demons

Between January 2012 and January 2018, Demetriou fleeced a sum of almost £840,000 from 72-year-old Elizabeth Phillips, who in addition to being tricked into handing over money for sham civil litigation, Demetriou also fed her lies regarding the need for an urgent medical operation abroad.

Jailing Demetriou, Judge David Aaronberg, QC, told him: ‘’As Ms Phillips set out in her moving statement setting out the depths of your deceit, this fraud has totally shattered her life.”

A further £600,000 was taken under false pretences from friends and relatives, all of whom were told they would be repaid in full after Demetriou would receive large compensation from the lawsuits. Demetriou ultimately used the money to quit his job and to move his family into a listed £3,500-a-month Hertfordshire property, before purchasing expensive holidays, cars, and designer goods. One victim told The Sun: “We were told we would get our money back after he had sued the health authority and police.

“But Demetriou was living it up on our money while pretending it was going to be used to win justice over his mum’s death. The reality was that there was no court case.

“It was all a big con and people have lost their life savings. Using your own mother’s death to steal from your friends is as low as you can get.’’

European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker declared on Thursday he was a Cypriot when called on to answer how the bloc ought to deal with Turkish actions in the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Juncker is in Sibiu in Romania where the informal European Council meeting was taking place and where President Nicos Anastasiades was to brief his EU counterparts on the latest developments concerning the presence of the Turkish drillship ‘Fatih’ off Paphos within the Republic’s EEZ.

Asked by the Cyprus News Agency how the EU was planning on dealing with the matter, Juncker replied: “I am Cypriot.”

On arrival at the Sibiu Summit, Anastasiades said he intended to elaborate on what was happening “unfortunately as a result of the violation of international law by Turkey,” expressing hope Cyprus would have the strong support of the European Council and the EU.

“I hope that something appropriate will be done something that dignifies Europe into the eyes of all Europeans, particularly on the basis of the principles of European solidarity and respect for the sovereignty of the states in general, especially the member states.”

Anastasiades already informed the heads of parties that are members of the European People’s Party (EPP) whose summit also took place in Sibiu, ahead of the Council meeting, of Turkey’s illegal activities.

The president raised the issue of restrictive measures “against all those involved in Turkey’s unlawful actions” in the Republic of Cyprus’ EEZ and the Eastern Mediterranean, reiterating that at “virtually these unacceptable actions amount to a new invasion of Cyprus from Turkey after the tragic events of 1974.”

“The time has come for a collective response to these challenges with actions beyond the usual messages that have proven ineffective,” he said addressing the EPP summit.

It is clear, he said, that all of the EU’s rigorous messages to Turkey have hit a wall.

“Even the recent statement by EU High Representative (Federica) Mogherini has been met with irony by the Turkish foreign minister,” he said. The ultimate goal of the measures should be “to end Turkey’s unlawful actions that are likely to further destabilise the region.”

Turkey’s actions, he said, constituted a flagrant violation of Cyprus’ sovereign rights and are contrary to international and European law while her allegations of acting in the best interest of Turkish Cypriots were completely unfounded.

“It is by far the most serious violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus and we are faced with an unprecedented escalation of Turkey’s unlawful actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, “he said.

Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said after the summit that the EPP partners condemn Turkish intervention and call on Turkey to abandon these illegal activities which are directed not only against the Republic of Cyprus but also against the EU’s interests.”

“At the same time, the EPP notes that it will follow the situation closely and respond accordingly, showing solidarity to the Republic of Cyprus,” he said. Later in the day, Britain said it was concerned by Turkey’s intention to begin offshore drilling operations in an area claimed by Cyprus as its exclusive economic zone, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

Apostolos Giannakas (Απόστολος Γιάννακας)

Today, I had the pleasure of being taken to a village called Koilani, in the Troodos mountains to meet a man called Apostolos Giannakas. He is exactly the type of person I am looking for to participate in my 'Cypriot Diaspora' videos.

He left the village at 12 years old and went to Limassol to go to school then in 1955 aged just 18 he left for the UK. He was met by an Uncle at Victoria station who took him to Bradford where he lived for 2 years before moving down to London.

This stunning replica of a Cypriot house was made by a talented lady called Dorothy Allen around 2001/3. It did immediately catch my eye as something special when I moved it to its new location on display at Lavdas Furniture, in Strovolos, Nicosia.

However, it was not until I began to ask Dorothy about specific details that I realised just how much effort had gone in to it. The ONLY way to do this justice was in a series of videos. There is a lot of information, but for anyone with a genuine interest, this is a world of knowledge.

Today, Cyprus celebrates its 56th year as an independent state. Cyprus had officially gained its independence from the British rule on August 16, 1960, when the agreements for the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus were signed. Continue reading →